Tailormade tour Cities of south-west France, Lyon and Paris by rail holiday France

Begin your rail holiday by departing on a Eurostar from London to Paris. Departures are hourly and the journey takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Choose a departure time to suit although we suggest taking a mid-morning departure to arrive into Paris in the afternoon. Check-in to your hotel where you will spend three nights.

You have two full days at leisure to explore Paris. The hotel we suggest is situated on the Left Bank, a stone’s throw away from La Place de la Concorde, the Assemblée Nationale and Les Invalides. Highlights to visit include the Eiffel Tower, perhaps the most famous of Paris’s monuments, where you can take a lift to the top floor at 899 feet and enjoy the view across Paris. Other places to visit include the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe which dates from 1836. Spend some time taking in the atmosphere of Montmartre where you can find the Sacre-Coeur basilica. Montmartre is one of the most charming areas of Paris, and it is worth exploring the narrow winding streets that make it so appealing. Another appealing district is Le Marais, on the right bank. Here you can find the elegant Place des Vosges, an attractive square known formally as the Place Royale built in the early 1700s. There are also many museums on offer. Notable museums include the Louvre, Musée Rodin and Musée d’Orsay. Take a break from sight-seeing and enjoy one of the many pretty gardens such as the Jardin du Luxembourg or the Jardin des Tuileries.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before taking a taxi to the Gare de Lyon where you board a direct TGV service to the city of Lyon. The journey takes about two hours with trains departing about two every hour. There are no tunnels on this route and you’ll see the forests and fields south of Paris give way to the hills and vineyards of Burgundy. Check-in to your hotel where you will spend two nights.

Lyon has much to offer, with history dating back to Roman times. The old town is located on the banks of the River Saone. Spend time exploring the narrow, cobbled streets with medieval buildings and a variety of restaurants to choose from. Visit Place Bellecour, an impressive square with a statue of Louis XIV on horseback as its centrepiece. Stroll to Place des Terreaux and admire the fountains dotted about the square. The striking Notre Dame Basilica, situated in Fourviere, can be accessed on foot up several steps or by funicular. Enjoy panoramic views over Lyon from here. Lyon is also home to around 30 museums including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation. Dine in one of Lyon’s many restaurants or try the Michelin starred restaurant, Les Loges, at your hotel. 

Check-out of your hotel in Lyon and board a direct TGV train to Carcassonne. The journey south along the Rhone Valley into Provence and then Languedoc-Roussillon takes approximately 3 hours 30 minutes. You will spend two nights in the medieval town of Carcassonne. 

The Gallo-Roman upper town of Carcassonne is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historically of great significance in France. Walk along the city walls, past the castle’s amphitheatre, the basilica, and its 53 watchtowers, before making your way into the 12th century Château Comtal to view its archaeological exhibits and tour its inner ramparts. Visit the Cathedral of St Nazaire, which was built between the 11th and 14th centuries. The lower Carcassonne town subverts its title as a city, instead offering a peaceful, somewhat sleepy atmosphere, with a central square that holds a weekly market and numerous restaurants and cafés. From Place Carnot, walk further out into the town centre to discover the quaint individual stores that sell unique gifts, or La Ferme, which sells fine food and wines.

Today you travel by train to Bordeaux. This is a direct service which takes approximately 3 hours, heading north-west through the ‘pink city’ of Toulouse, along the valley of the River Garonne to Bordeaux.

The city of Bordeaux is a thriving hub of wine making in the Aquitaine region. On the bank of the Gironde Estuary, just south of the Médoc Peninsula, and about 40 minutes’ drive from world-famous Saint-Emilion. Within the port city of Bordeaux, stroll around the streets to get a feel for the wealth of extensive and interesting architecture. Recommended stop-off points include the Amphithéâtre de Bordeaux dit Palais Gallien, the Cathédrale de Bordeaux, the Opéra National de Bordeaux, and the Basilica of St. Michel. Making your own way around this city and exploring in your own time is the best way to experience the place first-hand. To delve deeper into the heritage of the city, visit the Musée d’Aquitaine, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, or catch a show at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

Depart from Bordeaux on a late morning train in the direction of London, changing stations in Paris before boarding the Eurostar to arrive back in the UK at about 6pm.